ENGLISH QUESTION

FORMATION
?????

LEARN THE RULES

START WITH EASY QUESTIONS

THE VERB TO BE
I am happy.
Am I happy?
She is late.
Is she late?
He was absent.
Was he absent?

ANOTHER EASY VERB

THE VERB TO BE ABLE
We can eat lunch at one oclock.
Can we eat lunch at one oclock?
They can speak Spanish very well.
Can they speak Spanish very well?
Susan could recite the ABCs in kindergarten.
Could Susan recite the ABCs in kindergarten?

TO MAKE QUESTIONS, INVERT (SWITCH)

THE SUBJECT AND THE VERB.

ANOTHER EASY ONE

WILL (FUTURE AUXILIARY)
She will move to the U.S. next year.
Will she move to the U.S. next year?
We will get married in May.
Will we get married in May?
I will see you later.
Will I see you later?

NOW GET READY FOR THE

HARD ONES!
99% of the time we need to use something
called an auxiliary (a helper) to make a
question in English.
We use different auxiliaries (helpers) for
different pronouns.
We use different auxiliaries for present
tense and for past tense.
ARE YOU READY TO LEARN THESE RULES?

PRESENT TENSE QUESTIONS

using most other verbs
Pronouns:

USE AUXILIARY DO

1. I
2. You
3. We
4. They

Examples:
I like hamburgers.
Do I like hamburgers?
They speak Chinese.
Do they speak
Chinese?

REVIEW OF PRESENT TENSE

QUESTIONS WITH DO
FOR THESE 4 PRONOUNS:

1. I
2. You
3. We
4. They
TO MAKE A QUESTION, PUT DO AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE SENTENCE.

WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE

OTHER 3 PRONOUNS?
Pronouns:

USE AUXILIARY DOES

1. He
2. She
3. It

Examples:
She likes hamburgers.
Does she like
hamburgers?
He lives in Ecuador.
Does he live in Ecuador?

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

1. Put DOES at the
beginning of the
question.
2. CHANGE THE VERB
to the base form.
The s from the verb
is added to D-o-e-s.

EXAMPLES FOR
DOES:
My pen has black ink.
Does my pen have
black ink?
Her dog bites.
Does her dog bite?
He teaches ESL.
Does he teach ESL?

MORE EXAMPLES OF DOES

Maria types quickly.
Does Maria type
quickly?
David drives a green
car.
Does David drive a
green car?

MORE EXAMPLES OF DOES

Milk comes from
cows.
Does milk come from
cows?
It rains a lot in April.
Does it rain a lot in
April?

NOW GET READY FOR

PAST TENSE QUESTIONS!
1. Use the auxiliary DID (for all pronouns).
2. Change the verb back to the base form.
Examples:
She talked too much.
Did she talk too much?
I wrote my name on the test.
Did I write my name on the test?
The students went to the bathroom.
Did the students go to the bathroom?

PAST TENSE QUESTIONS

My father drove a
bus.
Did my father drive a
bus?
The women danced
in the show.
Did the women
dance in the show?

MORE PAST TENSE QUESTIONS

The iguana lay on the
roof in the sun.
Did the iguana lie on
the roof in the sun?
The Mayans built
temples in Mexico.
Did the Mayans build
temples in Mexico?

HARDER PAST TENSE QUESTIONS

When the waiter
walked down the
steps, he dropped
the tray of food.
When the waiter
walked down the
steps, did he drop
the tray of food?

MORE PAST TENSE QUESTIONS

When you explored
the cave, you needed
to wear a helmet and
a wet suit.
When you explored
the cave, did you
need to wear a
helmet and a wet
suit?

AND ONE FINAL PAST TENSE QUESTION

EXAMPLE
While we were at the
beach, a big wind
came and my
daughter flew away.
HOW WOULD YOU
MAKE THAT PAST
TENSE QUESTION?

YOU TRY IT!

COMPARE YOUR QUESTION TO MINE

While we were
at the beach,
did a big wind
come and did
my daughter
fly away?